Homophobic dialogue

Hello

Are words that could be considered homophobic (‘sissy’ for example) acceptable in story dialogue?

If context matters, a male character has been made to dress in scrunch butt gym shorts and sheer crop top and walk the streets. He attracts the attention of a group of straight men who then use those type of words.

The “f” word - and no, I don’t mean fuck - is definitely not allowed. I’m pretty sure sissy would be okay, though.

I did once have a story returned for revision, for a scene in which a guy has a sexual encounter with another guy, then regrets it as soon as he orgasms, ending in a homophobic freakout. It’s possible the character dropped that f-word in the draft that was returned, but I can’t remember exactly. I toned down the interaction a bit, and it was approved.

My guess is that if the straight guys on the street make some casual, joking remarks lightly making fun of your character as he passes by, it’s probably fine. If they get genuinely abusive, maybe not.

Thank you Joe that’s very helpful and largely aligns with my thoughts.

I’ve noticed that some stories have ‘sissy’ in the title so I assumed that was ok.

As you say, I’ll keep it to teasing and steer clear of abuse.

Yes, context matters. It's not just what is said, but the way that it's said. I wouldn't want to promote gay-bashing, racism, misogyny, etc. in my work, but discrimination can be a powerful thing for characters to react to and overcome, creating a conflict which motivates characters and drives the action of a story. So, it might be okay for a villain to call someone a 'sissy' as long as the villain is clearly a villain and gets punished or corrected for it. On the other hand, if you put the same words in the mouth of your protagonist, you run the risk of glorifying them.

Just keep in mind that "sissy" is a term used by a certain group to self-identify, some of whom are on here. We can't assume it's always a slur or attack. Which goes back to "context matters" as JAGYK wisely put it. And, really, makes context all the more important.

Quote by Seeker4

Just keep in mind that "sissy" is a term used by a certain group to self-identify, some of whom are on here. We can't assume it's always a slur or attack. Which goes back to "context matters" as JAGYK wisely put it. And, really, makes context all the more important.

as is the F word and i get that some people want to use it that way, but to me it is on par with the N word, which is also banned regardless of who is using it and how it is being used, so yeah, i pushed to have it banned. feel free to blame me.

Does that mean i can't play Fairytale of New York by the Pogues in here at Christmas then?

Quote by deviantsusie

Does that mean i can't play Fairytale of New York by the Pogues in here at Christmas then?

Pogues get a special exemption. i still have my copies of rum. sodomy and the lash and red roses for me on vinyl.

Quote by deviantsusie

Does that mean i can't play Fairytale of New York by the Pogues in here at Christmas then?

And no Money For Nothing by Dire Straits at any time of year 😭

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

And no Money For Nothing by Dire Straits at any time of year 😭

lol

I recently wrote a gay-male story, and after research, I decided that I wanted to use the word "twink".

Having no idea whether it was on the green list, grey list, or red list of naughty words, I asked privately for clarification. The advice I got was to search the published stories for that word to see if any stories included it.

That worked for me as 4 pages of stories came back... so that word was included in my story. 😊

I have always assumed "twink" originated in the gay community because, unlike "sissy", I have never heard it used in any context outside gay porn and discussion. But I've never done the research to confirm that.

Quote by wxt55uk

I recently wrote a gay-male story, and after research, I decided that I wanted to use the word "twink".

Having no idea whether it was on the green list, grey list, or red list of naughty words, I asked privately for clarification. The advice I got was to search the published stories for that word to see if any stories included it.

That worked for me as 4 pages of stories came back... so that word was included in my story. 😊

I always find it weird that you dont know a word is banned until you submit it.. i felt horrified the first time.. being told i'd used a rude word.. but it's a sex site and to be fair, the mod said it was the right word to use in the context but it was still banned...

Maybe we need the big list of banned words published somewhere?

Quote by deviantsusie
Maybe we need the big list of banned words published somewhere?

Except the post would be empty because all the words would be removed by the filter 🤣

Quote by deviantsusie

Maybe we need the big list of banned words published somewhere?

Here you go: Seven Dirty Words | George Carlin

Oh wait, wrong list.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

Except the post would be empty because all the words would be removed by the filter 🤣

Revealed.. the Lush list of banned words

Quote by deviantsusie

Revealed.. the Lush list of banned words

I knew ____ was banned!

Quote by RowanThorn

I knew ____ was banned!

Damn. That was going to be in the title of my next story. 😉😁

Ah, the ever-tricky dance between realism and respect. Words like “ sissy” walk a fine line. they can sting with intent or seduce with purpose, depending on whose mouth they fall from. In my world, context is everything. If the scene demands rawness, let it bite. but always with care for the space it lives in. We don’t flinch from the dark… we just wield it wisely.

Thanks for raising it, Alfresco. Deliciously complicated topic. 👠🖤



Quote by deviantsusie

Revealed.. the Lush list of banned words

I'd like to solve the puzzle: Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.

Stear clear of Rick Astley lyrics, and you should be fine.

Quote by Just_A_Guy_You_Know
Stear clear of Rick Astley lyrics

Always good advice in any case. Some fun songs but he's hardly Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan on the lyric front.

Just don't get Rick rolled....

I wouldn't mind rolling with Rick sometime. He won't be singing (mostly). 😲😉

Quote by Just_A_Guy_You_Know

I'd like to solve the puzzle: Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.

Stear clear of Rick Astley lyrics, and you should be fine.

Piece of cake since we're not allowed to directly quote any song lyrics anyway.

Otherwise I would have used "You wouldn't get this from any other guy" by now.

Quote by Alfresco

Hello

Are words that could be considered homophobic (‘sissy’ for example) acceptable in story dialogue?

If context matters, a male character has been made to dress in scrunch butt gym shorts and sheer crop top and walk the streets. He attracts the attention of a group of straight men who then use those type of words.

Since people who love tight censorship are rarely satisfied, I can’t help but wonder—what’s next? If words like sissy are suddenly deemed problematic, how long before terms like fat or anything remotely descriptive are next on the chopping block?

Before you know it, creativity will be crammed into a tiny, suffocating box with no room to breathe or express anything real.

In my humble opinion, the guiding principle should always be: When in doubt, choose free speech.

Let art stay free.

Moni.

Quote by sprite

the N word, which is also banned regardless of who is using it and how it is being used

This needs to be made clear somewhere. I tried using it (in the dialogue of a black man from the American South in the 1920s describing a brutal act of racism) after finding it used in many other stories, some of which have tens of thousands of views. The mod let me use "Negro" as a descriptor (again, the 1920s) and I subbed in "colored man" for "n-----", sacrificing some of the realism of the dialogue. I am certainly not pushing for this word's inclusion, but it's frustrating to be prevented from using a tab0o word in what I feel is a legitimate way, when a bunch of older stories are using it in an objectifying "big n----- dick" manner.

The only 3 words I’m aware that cannot be used regardless of contest are the F word regarding the LGBTQ community, the N word for race and using the R term for sexual assault.

But, I imagine similar words used to disparage a group through hate would similarly be flagged regardless of they were Jews, Asians, Italians or Latinos, for instance.

Common sense should make it fairly easy to separate those few terms that have a history of being used as a threat or stereotypical disparagement from a term like Sissy, which has been embraced by a part of the sub community to identify itself.